This Orange Creamsicle Cakehas fluffy, bouncy, moist layers of orange cake. It's a layer cake with a creamy, rich, thick buttercream frosting and bursting with zesty orange flavor.
Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the to 350°F.
Line the bottoms of (3) 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
MAKE CAKE BATTER:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine sugar and orange zest.
Add in butter and shortening and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs and mix for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to fully combine everything and continue mixing until pale and fluffy.
Add heavy cream, sour cream, milk and orange extract and mix for 30 seconds.
Add in orange juice and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture and the jello powder to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add in food coloring if desired to give the cake a brighter orange color.
Evenly distribute the batter into the 3 prepared cake pans. Tap the pans on the counter to release any excess air.
BAKE AND COOL CAKES:
Place the cake pans into the preheated oven. Bake for 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Once the cakes are baked, remove them from the oven and place them on wire cooling racks to completely cool before frosting, about 45 minutes.
While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting.
MAKE FROSTING:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine powdered sugar, butter, orange extract and salt. Beat on a medium-high until combined.
Add in milk and beat for 3-4 minutes, until fluffy.
If desired add food coloring and mix until just incorporated.
ASSEMBLE CAKE:
Once the cakes are completely cooled, carefully remove them from the pans and peel off the parchment paper.
Place the first cake on a cake stand or plate.
Add about ⅔ cup of frosting and evenly spread using an icing spatula.
Add the 2nd cake and repeat the frosting process, ending with the 3rd cake on top.
Once all cakes are layered, frost the top and sides of the cake.
In a piping bag fitted with a star tip drizzle lines of food coloring gel onto the sides of the piping bag.
DECORATE CAKE AND SERVE:
Spoon the remaining frosting into the piping bag and pipe swirls along the top of the cake to form a border along the top.
Cut the cake into 12 slices and serve.
Notes
Once the flour mixture is added to the wet ingredients be sure to mix until just combined. Overmixing can cause the gluten to overdevelop, resulting in a crumbly, rubbery cake.
If the frosting is too thick, just simply add 1-2 teaspoons of milk and mix to combine. If it ends up being too thin, add in 2-3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar and mix until the right consistency is achieved.